New Age Rules Help Defuse Campus Beer Blast

When Greg Norris realized that fraternity rush at the University of Florida would be completely ''dry'' this year, the prospect of a party without beer seemed impossible.

But sure enough, the traditional kegs of beer were absent from last week's round of fraternity recruitment parties in Gainesville, said college officials who toured frat houses. The only report of booze came from a student who told school officials about two frat brothers drinking beer at a rush party Wednesday. UF's dean of students plans to check out the report early this week. Except for that, ''people were very pleased with the way things happened this past week,'' said Jim Scott, UF's dean of students.

At UF and campuses across Florida, alcohol is missing from college- sponsored activities as students and administrators comply with a new state law that has raised the legal drinking age from 19 to 21.

Because of that law, which took effect July 1, ''75 to 80 percent of the guys coming through rush aren't old enough to drink,'' said Norris, who is president of UF's Interfraternity Council. ''I'm not going to sit there and drink a beer when they can't.''

Fraternities at UF replaced their traditional beer blasts ''with barbecues, casino nights, Buffalo chicken wings, buffets and a host of other activities without alcohol,'' said Gerardo Gonzalez, assistant dean for student services. ''The response has been pretty positive,'' said Gonzalez, who is also president of BACCHUS (Boost Alcohol Consciousness Concerning the Health of University Students), the nation's largest student organization promoting alcohol awareness. ''Their fears that they couldn't have a good time without beer haven't materialized.''

On the campus of Florida State University in Tallahassee, however, some fraternities reportedly were angered by the university administration's decision to have a dry rush. FSU's Interfraternity Council president protested that the university's last-minute ban on a ''wet'' rush cost fraternities between $5,000 and $10,000 because of broken contracts with alcohol distributors and security guards.

Not only fraternity houses, but also college-operated establishments that serve alcohol have been affected by the change in the drinking law. At both the University of Florida's Orange and Brew and the University of Central Florida's The Knight's Den, officials said, IDs are checked assiduously and there's a lot less in the way of low-priced beer nights and 50 cent mixed drinks.

Unlike UF's fraternities, those at UCF do not have houses. Thus at UCF, where five days of rush begin today, activities are being held at the Student Center Auditorium. Until this year, UCF's food services sold kegs of beer to the fraternities and let them sell beer to members and guests. That is no longer the case.

''Now I will sell the beer and check IDs, and a police officer will be present at all times,'' said Shawn Sharp, food services and catering manager for The Knight's Den. ''We're bearing down because the administration is bearing down.''

Indeed, colleges and universities are bearing down across the nation, partly in response to a federal law that was passed last year. Under provisions of that law, 5 percent of federal transportation funds could be withheld from any state that didn't raise its drinking age to 21 by Sept. 30, 1986. Most states have either changed the drinking age to 21 or plan to.

It's not only these new laws, but also new attitudes toward irresponsible drinking that the colleges are responding to.

''There's a real sense of urgency on all campuses to look at alcohol policies, tighten them up, make them more comprehensive and consistent with the shift in public opinion,'' said UF's Gonzalez.

Preliminary results from a national survey conducted by BACCHUS of administrators at 200 four-year schools show that 95 percent of those polled were concerned about being sued for an alcohol-related incident.

Florida's Department of Health and Rehabilitative Services has made a grant of $141,000 to UF, which distributes the funds to the state's eight other four-year colleges to develop curriculum and programs that increase awareness of the dangers of alcohol abuse.

''The program is going very well,'' said Chuck Rabaut, the state's contract manager for the campus substance abuse prevention project. ''We're not trying to prevent drinking, we're just trying to encourage responsible drinking. But remember that responsible drinking is only for those over 21. Responsible drinking for those under 21 is not drinking at all.''

The concern about responsible drinking extends to private colleges and universities. Rollins College in Winter Park, for example, has offered seminars and workshops about good sense and moderation when drinking.

As colleges promote such programs, ''the attitude that getting blasted is great is changing,'' UF's Gonzalez said. ''Young people are more concerned with their health and their careers. Those sorts of things don't go with substance abuse.''